By SAMUEL KARANJA samkache@gmail.com
Posted Saturday, November 26 2011 at 22:30
Posted Saturday, November 26 2011 at 22:30
Veteran politician James Njenga Karume is no stranger to controversy.
He has been in and out of the corridors of power in the days of founding President Jomo Kenyatta, former President Moi and now President Kibaki.
But it took many by surprise when Mr Karume recently faced a new kind of problem.
A man named Edwin Thuo has gone to court seeking to establish that he is Mr Karume’s son.
Should the court rule in Mr Thuo’s favour, he wants to be allowed to use Mr Karume’s name for himself and on the birth certificates of his children.
This past week, Mr Thuo’s mother, Lucy Thuo, filed an affidavit supporting her son’s case that seeks to have Mr Karume undergo a paternity test to establish if Edwin Thuo is his son.
Ms Thuo maintains that Mr Karume is the father of her son. The former Cabinet minister has denied the allegation.
The matter will be decided by the courts, but there is yet another that will be decided by the court of public opinion. Mr Karume was recently elevated to be the spokesman – read political patron – of the Gema (Gikuyu, Embu, Meru) communities.
But analysts interviewed by the Sunday Nation say Mr Karume’s rise to the position of Kikuyu spokesman may just be a shot in the dark.
“Kikuyu spokesmen did not wield central authority. They were not, traditionally, like the Meru who had Njuri Ncheke. Those who are trying to do it might be trying to reinvent a tradition that did not exist. Kikuyus never had elders dictating the direction of the community,” said political scientist Karuti Kanyinga.
“Among those communities, personal success is more celebrated and respected. Individual thrift determines the position you hold in society. Among the Meru, your billions are not respected when it comes to matters like land adjudication,” Prof Kanyinga said. “Community spokesmen are of no consequence. Those who will succeed are those who are going to tell them how to prosper as an individual or those who will create such environments. The youth are totally disconnected to this elder thing.”
Centralised authority
Catholic University lecturer Dr Kiarie Njoroge says the traditional Kikuyu did not have a centralised authority.
“Elders came about through age, but the community was very republican and very democratic. Kikuyu eldership is about culture and religion – that he was the spiritual elder of his home and considered to be the protector or warrior until such an elder had sons big enough to take over and he would be promoted. One is evaluated for eldership according to how they run their homes and the respect they attract from their peers in the immediate neighbourhood,” said Dr Kiarie, who teaches religious studies.
“The question is whether those who seek eldership today – and it’s open to all community men who at least have a family – want to become real elders beyond just acquiring a robe,” he added.
Mr Karume was installed as chairman of the Kikuyu Council of Elders as well as Gema overall leader during a ceremony at the Mukurwe-wa-Nyagathanga shrine in Murang’a County on October 29.
The lavish ceremony was attended by thousands of guests, including elders from various communities, Gema leaders, locals and even politicians, although not from Murang’a; it was probably the biggest event to have taken place there for some time.
Also present at the occasion were former Mungiki leader Maina Njenga, former Limuru MP George Nyanja, former Mathira MP and KCC chairman Matu Wamae and Gema national treasurer and Equity Bank chairman Peter Munga.
But the event was not without controversy as some elders from around the country as well as those from Murang’a vehemently opposed it, saying Mr Karume failed to consult them over the matter and that such an occasion would desecrate the shrine considered the cradle of mankind in Kikuyu tradition.
They also accused him of attempting to use the opportunity to gain political mileage and make himself the ultimate political power broker in central Kenya.
The event further divided the Kikuyu community leadership by creating a faction of elders led by Mr Karume.
The other faction, which is sympathetic to Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, is led by Mr Wachira Kiago; another is said to be operating in Nairobi’s Embakasi area.
Prayer session
These were the same elders who were against Mr Karume’s installation, accusing him of politicising the event.On September 18, Mr Kiago’s group organised a prayer session for the DPM days before he headed to the International Criminal Court at The Hague for the confirmation of charges hearings over his alleged involvement in the 2008 post-election violence.
They emphasised that they did not require “another leader” as they had already anointed Mr Kenyatta as the community’s spokesman and leader.
“He wants to gain political mileage. He never consulted us, and we do not need another leader since we have the Finance minister. His aim is to sell the community to the highest bidder,” Mr Kiago told the Sunday Nation by phone.
“Our concern was that he (Karume) would split the elders, yet we want a united unit of elders. But we appeal to him to join us for a common goal,” he said.
The same sentiments came from Kikuyu elders in Murang’a county and Maragua MP Elias Mbau, who said the ceremony held at the shrine was unacceptable.
But Mr Karume defended himself against the accusations, saying the event was “purely cultural” and meant to help “unite the Kikuyu community and all Kenyans”.
The former Kiambaa MP also said he was not interested in any political seat come next year and asked his critics to stop spreading such rumours.
“People should stop spreading rumours that I am interested in any seat; those making such remarks should know that I am only interested in uniting my community and all Kenyans,” he said at the ceremony.
Mr Karume said he had previously refused to be crowned leader of the Kikuyu and Gema, but elders prevailed upon him to take up the position. Mr Nyanja termed the accusations propaganda.
The former Limuru MP, who is also eyeing the seat of Kiambu governor, said Mr Karume’s installation was not meant to give him political mileage nor was he opposed to the DPM.
“The accusations are unfounded, and those making them are political cowards. Karume is not against Uhuru and is not a supporter of Raila Odinga as many are alleging,” he said on the phone.
“Karume is not fighting Uhuru because if he were, I would not have attended the ceremony as I am Uhuru’s supporter,” Mr Nyanja said.
Although the event may have been cultural, the political undertones and implications cannot be underestimated.
Apart from creating a rift between elders, the Karume factor may change the political arena in central Kenya and especially in the race for the presidential and gubernatorial positions.
Political cloutThe region has several presidential candidates, including the DPM, Narc-Kenya leader Martha Karua, Safina’s Paul Muite, and Planning assistant minister Peter Kenneth.
Given his vast wealth and political clout, Mr Karume could determine the destiny of any of the candidates from the region although he denies any political affiliation.
“It is my constitutional right to support whoever I want, and today’s crowning does not mean that I support any aspirant,” he said.
Mr Riaga Ogalo, the former chairman of the Luo Council of Elders, made a surprise appearance.
“Since you have more wealth and fame while most of us are ordinary folks, you ought to become the leader of all of us,” Mr Ogalo said.
The Ameru Njuri Ncheke, elders from Embu community and Gema chairman Bishop Lawi Imathiu also attended the ceremony.
But Mr Kiago thinks Mr Karume’s influence is over. “I don’t think he will have any impact in the political scope in the community,” he said.
Whether Mr Karume will become the next Kikuyu and Gema power broker remains to be seen.
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